Cuba Photographic Tour

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: ARRIVE IN HAVANA

Built around a deep natural harbour, Havana is one of the best surviving colonial cities in the Americas. Modern day Havana is a mixture of restored and crumbling architectural marvels. Art Deco-style buildings are the backdrop for 1950s American Cadillacs cruising past. The old district (Habana Vieja) has beautiful neoclassical and baroque buildings.

On arrival at Havana Airport you will be met by a local representative who will assist you with the transfer to your hotel in Old Havana, only minutes from the Plaza Vieja, Plaza San Francisco, Plaza de Armas and Plaza dela Cathedral. A beautiful location!

Overnight – (L/D)

Day 2: HAVANA

Street photography is the order of the day with so many opportunities to capture classic Cuba images you won’t know which way to look. Depart your hotel this morning to explore Old Havana on a half-day guided walking tour.

Walk among its World Heritage’s colonial architecture, tread the cobblestone streets and see some of this city’s fascinating historical and cultural value. Visit Plaza Vieja, Plaza de Armas, Cathedral Square, and Plaza de San Francisco de Asis.

There’s an opportunity to wander through the colorful markets of this wonderful city and photographing living statues as well as street actors and picturesque parades.

Overnight – (B/L/D)

Day 3: HAVANA TO VINALES

After an early morning of street photography in Havana, it’s now time to travel to Vinales in the western province of Pinar del Rio.

Vinales will seem like a world away from the bustling city of Havana, however it’s an area of great importance. This is where some of the world’s finest tobacco is grown and cigars manufactured. It’s a simple area where country folk reside on their farms, or in simple homes in basic but small villages. Vinales also offers some beautiful landscapes thanks to mogotes or flat-topped mountains scattered around the countryside.

Our afternoon will involve visiting cigar manufacturing workshops, local farms and towns with locals going about their daily lives.

Overnight – (B/L/D)

Day 4: VINALES TO PLAYA LARGA

After a last look around Vinales in the morning we head off to Playa Larga.

Playa Larga is a small seaside village, located at the end of Bay of Pigs. This picturesque seaside town boasts what is arguably one of the finest and unspoilt beaches on the south coast of Cuba. As well as the obvious attraction of lounging out on this beautiful stretch of sand, Playa Larga also offers excellent opportunities for snorkelling and diving, acting as a launching off base to explore the region’s beautiful natural habitat. The beach itself is surprisingly uncrowded and you can often take a stroll here without seeing another soul for miles. We’re however on a photographic tour, so as delightful as this may sound, our plan is to explore and photograph the local fishing village.

Overnight – (B/L/D)

Day 5: PLAYA LARGA TO CIENFUEGOS

Cienfuegos regarded as the ‘Pearl of the South’ sits on a bay that opens out to the Caribbean Sea. This provincial city, one of the youngest and most beautiful cities of Cuba, was founded in 1819 with the name of ‘Villa Fernandina de Jagua’ and displays both its Spanish colonial history and a strong French influence in its fine neoclassical architecture. Attractions include the Moorish Styled Palacio de Valle and nearby Castillo de Jagua, a fortress completed in 1745 to protect the bay from pirates who sought to take refuge there. We will enjoy a wonderful afternoon of street, architecture and portrait photography, with colour being the order of the day. Late afternoon we walk the outskirts of town, ending watching sunset over the bay.

Overnight – (B/L/D)

Day 6: CIENFUEGOS TO TRINIDAD

We rise early to explore the town as it commences the new day. From Cienfuegos we head to Trinidad. This ’museum town’ is reminiscent of the Spanish colonial era, with Baroque church towers, wrought iron gates, cobbled streets and tiled rooftops.

Many of the buildings retain their traditional character and are painted in lovely pastel shades. The surrounding area was one of the main centres of both sugar production and slavery and was frequented by smugglers until the late 1700s.

After lunch wander through the historical centre of Trinidad, a beautiful city full of stunning colonial architecture and street photography options aplenty. Tour Plaza Mayor, Museo Romántico, and stop at La Canchánchara bar to taste a Cuban cocktail made with rum, lemon and honey.

Depart your hotel for a full day tour of Sugar Mill Valley and Trinidad. Discover Cuba’s past African connection as you drive to “Valle de los Ingenios” – Sugar Mill Valley.

Here the economic importance of sugar and its link to the slave trade are explained. Visit the Torre de Manacas-Iznaga Sugar mill, one of the original sugar plantation mansions, and climb to the top of the tower to enjoy some of the best country views in Cuba.

Overnight – (B/L/D)

Day 8: TRINIDAD

After a morning of street photography, you have the afternoon off to wander, snooze, shop or simply soak up your surroundings.

Overnight – (B/L/D)

Day 9: TRINIDAD TO SANCTI SPIRITUS

Sancti Spiritus is larger than Trinidad but far less visited and this is one of its many charms.

The town boasts over 500 years of settlement and is a tranquil, traditional city, where bicycles and horse drawn taxis make the images we capture timeless.

Sancti Spiritus is a city of narrow, winding streets lending itself perfectly to ambling along and capturing the life and feel of Cuba.

Overnight – (B/L/D)

Day 10: SANCTI SPIRITUS TO HAVANA

Today we head back to Havana, part of our day will be driving whilst on the look out for any photo opportunities that arise.

The afternoon will be leisure time to back up some photos, share a lazy afternoon or do some shopping.

Overnight – (B/L/D)

Day 11: HAVANA

This morning depart your hotel for a half-day panoramic tour by vintage car through modern Havana. Havana’s eclectic architecture offers visitors some unforgettable sights. During the tour, you’ll travel through neighbourhoods such as Central Havana, Vedado and Miramar. See the Capital Building and see the Plaza de la Revolution where senior ministers (including Castro) have their offices; on one side is the most photographed building in Cuba, the Ministry of the Interior, which has a huge metal mural of Che Guevara on the outside wall. Drive through the green and leafy suburbs where many foreign embassies are established and return to Old Havana along the ‘Malecon’, a seafront drive lined with many once fabulous buildings that are now in a state of decay. Stop briefly at the famous Hotel Nacional and see the University of Havana among other significant buildings.

This evening enjoy a night out at Cafe Taberna Beny More in the heart of old town Havana. Start with a set menu dinner then enjoy to the 1950s music of the famous Buenavista Social Club. The band is accompanied by excellent dancers preforming Cuban dancing, giving you a glimpse into the dancing skills of Cubans.

Overnight – (B/L/D)

Day 12: HAVANA

Today we return to the streets and plazas of Old Havana to soak up the atmosphere, engage with locals and capture some wonderful images of Cuban life and its peoples. There are endless opportunities to photograph here.

In the late afternoon we head down for a stroll along the boardwalk at El Malecon, Havana’s harbor, renowned for its wonderful views, sea breeze and watching the locals relax and enjoy the end of their day will be a wonderful way to spend our last evening in Cuba.

Overnight – (B/L/D)

Day 13: DEPART HAVANA

Depending on your flight departure time, you are free to explore Havana for those last minute images, shopping or just relax the day away with a cool Mojito.

You will then be transferred to the airport for departure.

(*) Cuba’s currency is sometimes volatile and prices can change almost overnight. There is also a big demand for hotel rooms and until final numbers are confirmed their pricing may vary. This means that the price quoted above is correct right now, but could change due to circumstances outside our control.

Once the deposit is placed you are guaranteed a place on the tour – paying the full amount guarantees that there will be no extra cost should pricing go up due to currency fluctuations.

If possible, we recommend you consider paying the full amount as soon as you are comfortable, to get peace of mind by locking in the price.

Cuba is an island to overload your senses, from the exotic rhythms of salsa and rumba emanating from every corner, the incredible architecture, the street life and the sense of a country lost in the 1950’s. What better place to want to go take photographs?

Cuba will offer you unparalleled opportunities to capture amazing images of a country trapped in time, but time will not be standing still for long. As new opportunities for tourism and business take hold in the next few years the qualities that make Cuba unique will diminish and therefore the images we are able to capture will change with it. Now is the time to seize this opportunity to capture this amazing country before it surges forward in time. Come and join Malcolm Fackender and Glynn Lavender on an amazing Cuba photographic adventure.

Highlights

Havana – be seduced by the charms of Havana, with its colonial buildings, vintage cars, cigar-smoking musicians and music filled streets.

Playa Larga – and it’s fishing village.

Cienfuegos – an elegant city designed and built by the French, often referred to as the ‘Pearl of the South’.

Trinidad – from the long stretches of white sand beaches to the cobblestone streets lined with well preserved and enchanting colonial buildings, Trinidad is a favourite amongst visitors.

Vinales – one of Cuba’s most attractive areas, nestled in a lush valley surrounded by beautiful karst formations. This is an agricultural area producing an abundance of fruit and vegetables, sugar cane and tobacco.

Details

Duration: 12 days, including arrival and departure days.

Departure dates: 14th – 26th March 2018

Group size: Typically groups will be limited to 12 people giving a 6 to 1 ratio with our professional photographers.

Price: Early-bird price is TBA* per person twin share for land only content until TBA. Full price is TBA* per person twin share for land only content.

We will make every effort to match up single travellers who wish to travel at twin share rates. For anyone requiring a single room, a single supplement surcharge will apply.

Included

The cost includes the complete tour as per the itinerary

Accommodation and tours as shown in the itinerary

Meals as specified in itinerary (B/L/D)

Arrival and departure transfers

Two professional photographic leaders

Local English speaking tour guide

Entry fees and taxes whilst on organised tour

Purified drinking water

Not included

Return International Airfare

Visa

Travel Insurance is required. Please ensure that Cuba is covered by your insurer

Meals not indicated in program

Any drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) – unless part of an organised day tour

Activities during free time

Any expenses of a personal nature (such as laundry, phone calls, porterage etc.)